System and method for transcoding media stream

ABSTRACT

A system for transcoding a media stream includes at least one network interface; at least one memory; and at least one processor each coupled to one or more of the at least one network interface and one or more of the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to publish, via a messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcode request queue, retrieve the segment transcode request by a transcode worker thread, wherein the first transcode worker thread monitors the segment transcode request queue, transcode by a second transcode worker thread a segment referenced by the segment transcode request, determine by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, transcode the segment by a third transcode worker thread, and store the transcoded segment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/710,660, filed Dec. 11, 2019, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FORTRANSCODING MEDIA STREAM, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 10,951,925 on Mar.16, 2021. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/710,660 is a Continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/017,474, filed Jun. 25, 2018,entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSCODING MEDIA STREAM, issued as U.S.Pat. No. 10,511,864 on Dec. 17, 2019. U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/017,474 is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/944,312, filed on Apr. 3, 2018, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FORASYNCHRONOUS UPLOADING OF LIVE DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA WITH GUARANTEEDDELIVERY, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,327,013 on Jun. 18, 2019. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/944,312 is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/462,816, filed on Mar. 18, 2017, which issued onApr. 3, 2018, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,936,228, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHODFOR ASYNCHRONOUS UPLOADING OF LIVE DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA WITH GUARANTEEDDELIVERY. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/462,816 is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/252,368, filed on Aug. 31, 2016,which issued on Mar. 21, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,602,846, and entitledSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASYNCHRONOUS UPLOADING OF LIVE DIGITAL MULTIMEDIAWITH GUARANTEED DELIVERY. U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 16/710,660,16/017,474, 15/944,312, 15/462,816 and 15/252,368, and U.S. Pat. Nos.10,511,864, 10,327,013, 9,936,228, and 9,602,846 are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to transcoding media for streaming, and morespecifically to a system and method for transcoding a media stream.

BACKGROUND

Streaming live digital multimedia may result in a lower quality playbackexperience for end users because any issue with the upload process (fromencoder to media server) may result in missing, incomplete, or degradedcontent. This defective content is then transmitted to end users in thesame defective state, even when using a distribution network. This issuemay be accepted by some end users because those end users might preferto view the content as close to realtime as possible. However, some endusers prefer for the content to be high quality and gapless uponviewing, and will therefore accept a higher latency (time delay) whenviewing the live content. In addition, adaptive bitrate streaming allowsfor end users to receive content according to their available bandwidth.

SUMMARY

In one aspect thereof, a system for transcoding a media stream isprovided. The system includes at least one network interface, at leastone memory, and at least one processor each coupled to one or more ofthe at least one network interface and one or more of the at least onememory. The at least one processor is configured to initialize one ormore manifest processors, initialize a plurality of transcode workerthreads, publish, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in atranscode request queue, wherein the transcode request includes one ormore transcode request parameters, wherein the messaging bus and thetranscode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and whereinthe messaging service provides communications distributed over themessaging bus across the system. The at least one processor is furtherconfigured to retrieve by a manifest processor the transcode requestfrom the transcode request queue, publish, by the manifest processor viathe messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcoderequest queue, wherein the segment transcode request queue is providedby the messaging service, retrieve the segment transcode request by afirst transcode worker thread, wherein each one of the plurality oftranscode worker threads are configured to monitor the segment transcoderequest queue or independently perform transcoding operations onsegments, transcode by a second transcode worker thread a segmentreferenced by the segment transcode request in accordance with the oneor more transcode request parameters, determine by the manifestprocessor whether the transcode worker thread has completed transcodingthe segment and is still operating, and, if not, return, via themessaging bus, the segment transcode request to the segment transcoderequest queue, and transcode the segment by a third transcode workerthread, and store the transcoded segment.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured toretrieve a manifest referenced by the transcode request, and parse themanifest by the manifest processor to locate the segment and include alocation of the segment in the segment transcode request.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configuredto publish, by the second or third transcode worker thread via themessaging bus, a segment transcode notification in a segment transcodenotification queue, wherein the segment transcode notification indicatesa successful transcode of the segment, and wherein the segment transcodenotification queue is provided by the messaging service, and merge thesegment transcode notification with any other segment transcodenotifications in the segment transcode notification queue.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configuredto start a time interval, retrieve by the manifest processor the segmenttranscode notification or a merged notification from the segmenttranscode notification queue, in response to an expiration of the timeinterval, and create by the manifest processor a new manifest includinginformation related to the transcoded segment and other segmentsreferenced by the merged notification.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configuredto assign a unique identifier (UID) to a media stream, wherein themanifest and the segment are associated with the media stream, andreference the UID in the transcode request, the segment transcoderequest, and the segment transcode notification.

In another embodiment, when determining by the manifest processorwhether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding thesegment and is still operating, the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to place the segment transcode request in a transcodereattempt queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is a separatequeue from the segment transcode request queue, wherein the transcodereattempt queue is provided by the messaging service, and whereinavailable transcode worker threads monitor the transcode reattempt queuein order to retrieve requests from the transcode reattempt queue andtranscode segments referenced by segment transcode requests in thetranscode reattempt queue.

In another embodiment, the one or more transcode request parametersinclude at least one of a resolution parameter, wherein the resolutionparameter indicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment, abitrate parameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate toassign to the segment, a cropping parameter, wherein the croppingparameter indicates that images in the segment are to be cropped, aresizing parameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that alength of the segment is to be altered, or a codec parameter, whereinthe codec parameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to adifferent codec.

In another aspect thereof, a method for transcoding a media stream isprovided. The method includes initializing one or more manifestprocessors, initializing a plurality of transcode worker threads,publishing, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in a transcoderequest queue, wherein the transcode request includes one or moretranscode request parameters, and wherein the messaging bus and thetranscode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and whereinthe messaging service provides communications distributed over themessaging bus, retrieving by a manifest processor the transcode requestfrom the transcode request queue, publishing, by the manifest processorvia the messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segmenttranscode request queue, wherein the segment transcode request queue isprovided by the messaging service, retrieving the segment transcoderequest by a first transcode worker thread, wherein each one of theplurality of transcode worker threads are configured to monitor thesegment transcode request queue or independently perform transcodingoperations on segments, transcoding by a second transcode worker threada segment referenced by the segment transcode request in accordance withthe one or more transcode request parameters, determine by the manifestprocessor whether the second transcode worker thread has completedtranscoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, returning,via the messaging bus, the segment transcode request to the segmenttranscode request queue, and transcoding the segment by a thirdtranscode worker thread, and storing the transcoded segment.

In one embodiment, the method further includes retrieving a manifestreferenced by the transcode request, and parsing the manifest by themanifest processor to locate the segment and include a location of thesegment in the segment transcode request.

In another embodiment, the method further includes publishing, by thesecond or third transcode worker thread via the messaging bus, a segmenttranscode notification in a segment transcode notification queue,wherein the segment transcode notification indicates a successfultranscode of the segment, and wherein the segment transcode notificationqueue is provided by the messaging service, and merging the segmenttranscode notification with any other segment transcode notifications inthe segment transcode notification queue.

In another embodiment, the method further includes starting a timeinterval, retrieving by the manifest processor the segment transcodenotification or a merged notification from the segment transcodenotification queue, in response to an expiration of the time interval,and creating by the manifest processor a new manifest includinginformation related to the transcoded segment and other segmentsreferenced by the merged notification.

In another embodiment, the method further includes assigning a uniqueidentifier (UID) to a media stream, wherein the manifest and the segmentare associated with the media stream, and referencing the UID in thetranscode request, the segment transcode request, and the segmenttranscode notification.

In another embodiment, the method further includes when determining bythe manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread hascompleted transcoding the segment and is still operating, placing thesegment transcode request in a transcode reattempt queue, wherein thetranscode reattempt queue is a separate queue from the segment transcoderequest queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is provided by themessaging service, and wherein available transcode worker threadsmonitor the transcode reattempt queue in order to retrieve requests fromthe transcode reattempt queue and transcode segments referenced bysegment transcode requests in the transcode reattempt queue.

In another embodiment, the method further includes the one or moretranscode request parameters include at least one of a resolutionparameter, wherein the resolution parameter indicates a resolution atwhich to transcode the segment, a bitrate parameter, wherein the bitrateparameter indicates a bitrate to assign to the segment, a croppingparameter, wherein the cropping parameter indicates that images in thesegment are to be cropped, a resizing parameter, wherein the resizingparameter indicates that a length of the segment is to be altered, or acodec parameter, wherein the codec parameter indicates that the segmentis to be transcoded to a different codec.

In another aspect thereof, a non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprising instructions for operating a system including at least onenetwork interface, at least one memory, and at least one processor isprovided. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor,cause the system to initialize one or more manifest processors,initialize a plurality of transcode worker threads, publish, via amessaging bus, a transcode request in a transcode request queue, whereinthe transcode request includes one or more transcode request parameters,wherein the messaging bus and the transcode request queue are providedby a messaging service, and wherein the messaging service providescommunications distributed over the messaging bus across the system,retrieve by a manifest processor the transcode request from thetranscode request queue, publish, by the manifest processor via themessaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcoderequest queue, wherein the segment transcode request queue is providedby the messaging service, retrieve the segment transcode request by afirst transcode worker thread, wherein each one of the plurality oftranscode worker threads are configured to monitor the segment transcoderequest queue or independently perform transcoding operations onsegments, transcode by a second transcode worker thread a segmentreferenced by the segment transcode request in accordance with the oneor more transcode request parameters, determine by the manifestprocessor whether the second transcode worker thread has completedtranscoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, return, viathe messaging bus, the segment transcode request to the segmenttranscode request queue, and transcode the segment by a third transcodeworker thread, and store the transcoded segment.

In one embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium furthercomprises instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to retrieve a manifest referenced by thetranscode request, and parse the manifest by the manifest processor tolocate the segment and include a location of the segment in the segmenttranscode request.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable mediumfurther comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to publish, by the second or third transcodeworker thread via the messaging bus, a segment transcode notification ina segment transcode notification queue, wherein the segment transcodenotification indicates a successful transcode of the segment, andwherein the segment transcode notification queue is provided by themessaging service, and merge the segment transcode notification with anyother segment transcode notifications in the segment transcodenotification queue.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable mediumfurther comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to start a time interval, retrieve by themanifest processor the segment transcode notification or a mergednotification from the segment transcode notification queue, in responseto an expiration of the time interval, and create by the manifestprocessor a new manifest including information related to the transcodedsegment and other segments referenced by the merged notification.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable mediumfurther comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to assign a unique identifier (UID) to amedia stream, wherein the manifest and the segment are associated withthe media stream, and reference the UID in the transcode request, thesegment transcode request, and the segment transcode notification.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable mediumfurther comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to, when determining by the manifestprocessor whether the second transcode worker thread has completedtranscoding the segment and is still operating, place the segmenttranscode request in a transcode reattempt queue, wherein the transcodereattempt queue is a separate queue from the segment transcode requestqueue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is provided by themessaging service, and wherein available transcode worker threadsmonitor the transcode reattempt queue in order to retrieve requests fromthe transcode reattempt queue and transcode segments referenced bysegment transcode requests in the transcode reattempt queue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingDrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a digital content streaming system;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of an asynchronous queuing and uploadsystem;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a video streamingprocess;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a file segmentingand queueing process;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of an upload workerthread process;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of another embodiment of an upload workerthread process;

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a digital content downloading andplayback method;

FIG. 8A illustrates a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a combineddual stream video encoding and output system;

FIG. 8B illustrates another diagrammatic view of the system of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A illustrates a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of acombined dual stream video encoding and output system;

FIG. 9B illustrates another diagrammatic view of the system of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a combined dualstream video encoding and output method;

FIG. 11 illustrates a media stream transcoding system in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a transcoding request message sequence in accordancewith various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates media content stored on one or more servers thatincludes multiple adaptation sets and representations in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a transcoding process in accordancewith various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of a transcode worker process inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a segment transcode notificationmerging process in accordance with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 17 illustrates a diagrammatic view of a device that may be usedwithin the systems disclosed herein in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are usedherein to designate like elements throughout, the various views andembodiments of a system and method for transcoding a media stream areillustrated and described, and other possible embodiments are described.The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instancesthe drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places forillustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate the many possible applications and variations based on thefollowing examples of possible embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated of a digital contentstreaming system 100 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The system 100 includes a capture site 102. Thecapture site 102 is a location at which digital content is to becaptured, or recorded, and stored. The capture site 102 includes acapture device 104 connected to an encoder 106. In some embodiments, thecapture device 102 can be a physical device for capturing video andaudio that passes the captured video and audio to the encoder 106. Forinstance, the capture device 104 could be a video camera connected as aperipheral device to the encoder 106, a webcam contained within theencoder 106, a device on a network to capture video and audio and totransmit the video and audio to the encoder 106 over the network, or anyother device capable of capturing video and audio, or other types ofdigital content. In other embodiments, the capture device 104 may not bea physical device, but rather a method for acquiring video by theencoder 106 such as software and network processes and functions,including, but not limited to, an ability of the encoder 106 to capturevideo of its associated display, such as recording its desktop,retrieving a video from a location on a network, and using technologiessuch as Network Device Interface (NDI). In embodiments usingtechnologies similar to NDI, multimedia content is captured by a deviceon a network which the encoder 106 is also connected. The encoder 106could receive this multimedia content over the network to encode orre-encode the content. Therefore, the capture device 104, in its variousembodiments, is not limited to physical devices that allow for thecapture of video and audio content, but also may include any other meansfor accessing content by the encoder 106, such as video content beingalready stored on the network and retrieved by the encoder 106.

The encoder 106 may be a custom built machine that allows for video tobe received via a capture device, processed, and stored on a local driveconnected to the machine. The encoder 106 may run an operating systemcapable of executing various programs. The encoder 106 also may, in someembodiments, operate as a web server similar in function to a server108. In this way, the encoder 106 provides digital content to clientapplications running on equipment that is either on the local network ofthe encoder 106, or on outside networks. The encoder also can establisha connection with a server 108 over a network 110 for enhanceddistribution capabilities.

The server 108 serves to store digital content uploaded to the server108 by the encoder 106. The server 108 then streams the digital contentto a plurality of decoders 112 connected to the server 108 over thenetwork 110. The plurality of decoders 112 can be, or run on, any devicecapable of executing the decoder, including PCs, laptops, mobiledevices, custom decoding machines, or other devices. Additionally, thedecoder 112 can be a program stored and executed by a device or can beimplemented in other ways, such as within a webpage accessed by a webbrowser. The server 108 may be a single server accessed over theInternet, or may be a distribution system containing multiple serversdesigned to meet the load demand of a large number of end users. Thisdistribution system may be a content delivery network (CDN) provided bya third-party with the resources and capacity to meet the demand, suchas those provided by Google, Amazon, and others.

The plurality of decoders 112 may run on devices having appropriateoutput ports for allowing a display to be connected thereto for viewingthe digital content, such as VGA ports, composite video (RCA) ports,HD-SDI, HDMI ports, or any other ports capable of allowing a display tobe connected to the decoders 112. Alternatively, the plurality ofdecoders 112 may also allow for viewing of the digital content on adisplay directly connected to the device on which the decode client 112is running, such as laptops, mobile devices, or any other device havinga display. The decoders 112 may be executed on a device running anoperating system capable of executing various programs. The decoders 112may be executed on custom built decoder boxes supplied to variouspartners of the capture site, on a PC running an operating system andcapable of running the decoder, or any other device that allows for thedecoder to be executed thereon.

The embodiments described herein disclose a system in which allsegmenting of files is done at the encoder 106. The encoder 106 furtherstores all segmented files and the manifest files. Therefore, in someembodiments, the server 108 is used merely for providing the bandwidthrequired to meet the demand of end users. The encoder 106, or a serverconnected locally to the encoder 106, can function in place of theserver 108 as a web server if needed. The server 108 does not performany of the operations of segmenting files, but rather only storessegment files and manifest files for download by end users using thedecoder 112.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated an asynchronous queuingand upload system 200 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The encoder 106 creates a queue of segment files202. Segment files are typically files that are short segments of thedigital content created from the source content to allow for fasteruploading and downloading. The segment files are segmented based onparticular lengths, such as four seconds, with each segment being of thesame length. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that otherlengths may be used. Additionally, in some cases the last segment filefor a particular item of digital content may be of a different lengththan the other segment files. For instance, if the segment files aredesignated as being four seconds each, and the source content is a totalof 58 seconds in length, the segment files will have 15 segment filesconsisting of 14 four-second segments and one two-second segment as thelast segment. The segment files in the queue may consist of audio files,video files, or any other type of digital content. Additionally, thequeue also includes a manifest file. The manifest file containsinformation on all the segment files that includes information thatallows for those segment files to be located on and downloaded from theserver 108 or any other location they may be stored.

The system 200 further includes at least one upload worker thread 204.An upload worker thread 204 is a separate process or function that runsindependently from any other threads and from other operations run bythe encoder 106, such as receiving audio and video content, andencoding, segmenting, and adding to the queue 202 said content. Onepurpose of the upload worker threads 204 is to take files from the queue202, with the first file in the queue 202 (first-in-first-out) beingtaken by the first worker thread 204 that is started. The upload workerthread 204 then attempts to upload the file to the server 108. Anynumber of worker threads 204 may be initiated, each taking a file fromthe queue 202, to allow for multiple files to be within the uploadprocess at the same time. However, as each upload worker thread 204operates independently from other operations of the encoder 106, thefiles are thus uploaded asynchronously from those other operations.

For example, the encoder 106 may continue to receive, encode, segment,and add video to the queue 202 while upload worker threads continue totake files from the queue 202 and upload them to the server 108. Theupload worker threads will continue to work if needed if the otherprocesses have stopped, and the other processes of recording,segmenting, storing, and queueing will continue even if the uploadworker threads have stopped. The upload worker threads 204 also workasynchronously from each other, with each upload worker thread 204finishing its task depending on how quickly that particular uploadworker thread 204 accomplishes the task. Therefore, the upload workerthreads 204 may finish uploading the files at different times. Once anupload worker thread 204 finishes its task, it is terminated and, ifmore files are still in the queue, another upload worker thread 204 isstarted to take and upload the next file in the queue.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the number ofupload worker threads 204 may vary depending on the desired speed ofuploading all files in the queue 202, and the amount of acceptedoverhead and use of system resources. For example, in some systems, onlythree upload worker threads 204 may be allowed to run, while othersystems may allow for ten, for example, or any other number.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a flowchart of a videostreaming process 300 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. At step 302, the encoder 106 receives video from thecapture device 104. At step 304, the encoder 106 creates and stores on alocal drive connected to the encoder 106 segment files created from thecaptured video, as well as a manifest file. The segment files may beboth video and audio files, with each segment being of a particularlength, such as four seconds. Since the segment files are stored on alocal drive, in some embodiments the encoder 106 may act as a web serverto allow devices on the local network to access the content, or, in someembodiments, to allow for devices outside of the local network to accessthe content over the network 110.

At step 306, the encoder 106 places the segment files and the manifestfile in a queue. At step 308, the segment files and manifest file areuploaded to a server in the manner described herein. At step 310, theplurality of decoders 112 retrieve the manifest file and the segmentfiles from the server in the manner described herein. At step 312, theplurality of decoders 112 playback the downloaded content. It will beappreciated that the digital content provided by this process and theother processes disclosed herein may be other forms of digital contentbesides video, such as audio content, or other forms of digital contentthat can be provided in this manner.

Segment files may be encrypted and uploaded as encrypted files to theserver 108. The segment files may then be decrypted once downloaded by adecoder 112 in order to play the files. Decryption keys may be createdand uploaded, listed in the manifest file, and downloaded along with thesegment files.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a flowchart of a filesegmenting and queueing process 400 in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure. At step 402, video and audiocapture is started at the capture site 102. Video and audio capture mayinclude recording an event with a video camera, retrieving video from alocation on a network, receiving video signals using NDI technologies,or any other means for acquiring video and audio by the encoder 106. Atstep 404, the encoder 106 compresses the video and audio using a definedcodec as the video and audio is received. For example, video may becompressed using H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP8, VP9 or other video codecs. Theaudio may be encoded using AAC, MP3, Vorbis, Opus, or other audiocodecs. Encoded audio and video may be assembled in container bitstreamsusing MP4, FLV, WebM, ASF, or other methods depending on the streamingprotocol to be used. At step 406, the encoder 106 creates and stores amanifest file. At step 408, the encoder 106 adds the manifest file to anupload queue. At step 410, the encoder 106 creates and stores a segmentfile of a particular length, such as four seconds. At step 412, theencoder 106 adds the segment file to an upload queue. At step 414, theencoder updates the manifest file to include information related to thesegment file created in step 410. At step 416, the encoder 106 adds theupdated manifest file to the upload queue.

At decision block 418, it is determined whether the segment file addedto the queue at step 412 is the last segment file that needs to becreated, i.e., the last segment file containing the last portion of thesource digital content. This determination may be accomplished bydetermining whether more content is currently being received from thecapture device 104. If the segment file added to the queue in step 412is not the last segment file that needs to be created, the process 400moves back to step 410 to create, store, and add to the queue a newsegment file (steps 410 and 412) and to update and add to the queue themanifest file (steps 414 and 416). If at step 418 it is determined thatthe segment file added to the queue at step 412 is the last segment filethat needs to be created, the process 400 ends at step 420.

While the upload queue is created to facilitate upload of all files, thefiles may also be permanently stored at the storage drive associatedwith the encoder 106. This ensures that a complete copy is saved, atleast for a certain period of time or as defined by storage capacity,such as only allowing 12 hours of content to reside on the storage driveat a time, to ensure that no files are lost before a complete, highquality, copy of the content is uploaded and data integrity verified.Additionally, as noted herein, the encoder 106 may act as a web serverto provide the stored files to local or remote end users.

It will be understood that creation of the manifest file, creation ofthe segment files, and eventual streaming of the content to end users isaccomplished using particular streaming libraries and protocols. Suchstreaming libraries may include FFmpeg, Libav, MPlayer, AviSynth, orothers. Such streaming protocols may include Flash, Microsoft SmoothStreaming, Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), HTTP LiveStreaming (HLS), or other streaming protocols.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a flowchart of an uploadworker thread process 500 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. At step 502, the encoding process starts. At step504, an upload worker thread is initiated. At step 506, the uploadworker thread takes the first file in the queue out of the queue. Thismay be done with a command such as file f=queue.take( ), or any othercommand that accomplishes this task. It will be appreciated by oneskilled in the art that step 506 may come before step 504. For instance,a program running on the encoder 106 may take the first file out of thequeue using a command such as file f=queue.take( ) (step 506), assignthe file to a variable, and then pass the variable to a upload workerthread function, by a command such as upload(f), where upload( ) is anupload worker thread function call, thus creating the upload workerthread (step 504) with the file already taken out of the queue and knownto the upload worker thread.

At step 508, the upload worker thread creates an instance of acommunications protocol client. This may be a client using HTTP, IAP,FTP, SMTP, NNTP, or any other protocol for allowing transmission ofinformation and files over the internet and using a transport layerprotocol such as TCP. This may use a command such as HTTP Clientclient=new HTTP Client, for example, or another command for starting anew client. At step 510, the upload worker thread attempts to transmitthe file to the server 108. This attempt may use a command such asclient.post(file), for example, or another command for sending the file.At decision block 512, it is determined whether there is any issue orinstability with the connection to the server 108. The issue may resultfrom a drop in connection between the encoder 106 and the server 108,slow connection speeds, or any other issue that interferes withtransmittal of the file to the server. This may be an active check ofthe network status, or it may be passive. If it is a passive check, insome embodiments, the upload worker thread may simply stall until theconnection is restored. In other embodiments, the upload worker threadmay run a loop wherein multiple attempts are made to transmit the file,such as using a try/catch exception process wherein the upload status ofthe file is only verified if a network exception is not caught, and mayalso include a threshold wherein the loop will terminate upon a certainnumber of failed attempts. If it is determined that there is an issuewith the connection to the server, the process moves back to step 510 toattempt to again transmit the file to the server 108. If at step 512there is no issue with the connection to the server, the process 500moves to step 514.

At step 514, an MD5 checksum is executed on the uploaded file to verifydata integrity of the uploaded file. At decision block 516, it isdetermined whether the file passed the MD5 checksum. If the uploadedfile did not pass the MD5 checksum, the process moves back to step 510to again attempt to transmit the file to the server 108, replacing thefailed file. If the uploaded file passes the MD5 checksum, the processmoves to decision block 518. At decision block 518, it is determinedwhether the upload queue is now empty and whether the encoder is nolonger encoding content to be added to the queue. If the upload queue isempty and the encoder is finished encoding, the process 500 ends at step520, where the upload worker thread is terminated. If the upload queueis not empty, the process 500 moves back to step 506 to take the nextfile in the queue. In the event that the upload queue is empty, but theencoder is still encoding content, the upload worker thread may sleepfor a small amount of time before checking the queue again to determineif a file is now available to be processed.

It will be understood that there may be more than one upload workerthread working at the same time. For example, in some embodiments, threeupload worker threads may be allowed to run concurrently. One may befinishing its task while the other two are still attempting to uploadfiles they pulled from the queue. The one finishing its task isterminated at step 520, while the other two upload worker threadscontinue to work.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a flowchart of an uploadworker thread process 600 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. At step 602, an upload worker thread is initiated.At step 604, an upload worker thread takes the first file out of theupload queue. This may be done with a command such as file f=queue.take(), or any other command that accomplishes this task. At step 606, theupload worker thread creates an instance of a communications protocolclient. This may be a client using HTTP, IAP, FTP, SMTP, NNTP, or anyother protocol for allowing transmission of information and files overthe internet and using a transport layer protocol such as TCP. This mayuse a command such as HTTP Client client=new HTTP Client, for example,or another command for starting a new client. At step 608, the uploadworker thread attempts to transmit the file to the server 108. Thisattempt may use a command such as client.post(file), for example, oranother command for posting the file. At decision block 610, it isdetermined whether there is any issue or instability with the connectionto the server 108. The issue may result from a drop in connectionbetween the encoder 106 and the server 108, slow connection speeds, orany other issue that interferes with transmittal of the file to theserver. If at step 610 there is no issue with the connection to theserver, the process 600 moves to step 612.

At step 612, an MD5 checksum is executed on the uploaded file to verifydata integrity of the uploaded file. At decision block 614, it isdetermined whether the file passed the MD5 checksum. If the uploadedfile did not pass the MD5 checksum, the process moves back to step 608to again attempt to transmit the file to the server 108, replacing thefailed file. If the uploaded file passes the MD5 checksum, the processmoves to decision block 616. At decision block 616, it is determinedwhether the upload queue is now empty and whether the encoder is nolonger encoding content to be added to the queue. If the upload queue isempty and the encoder is finished encoding, the process 600 ends at step618, where the upload worker thread is terminated. If the upload queueis not empty, the process 600 moves back to step 604 to take the nextfile in the queue. In the event that the upload queue is empty, but theencoder is still encoding content, the upload worker thread may sleepfor a small amount of time before checking the queue again to determineif a file is now available to be processed.

It will be understood that there may be more than one upload workerthread working at the same time. For example, in some embodiments, threeupload worker threads may be allowed to run concurrently. One may befinishing its task while the other two are still attempting to uploadfiles they pulled from the queue. The one finishing its task isterminated at step 618, while the other two upload worker threadscontinue to work.

If at decision block 610 it is determined that there is an issue withthe connection to the server, the process moves to decision block 620.At decision block 620, it is determined whether a reattempt thresholdhas been reached. The reattempt threshold is a set number of failedupload attempts for the current upload worker thread. If the thresholdhas not yet been reached, the process moves back to step 608 to againattempt to transmit the file to the server 108. The reattempt thresholdcheck may also occur after decision block 614 in response to a failedMD5 checksum. If the reattempt threshold has been reached, the process600 moves to step 622. At step 622, the upload worker thread places thefile back in a queue to be re-tried at a later time. In someembodiments, the queue that the file is placed into after the reattemptthreshold is reached is the same queue that the file was originallytaken at step 604.

In other embodiments, there may be a separate reattempt queue created toreceive only files that were attempted to be uploaded, but failed andmet the reattempt threshold. This separate reattempt threshold allowsfor a file that failed to be uploaded to be retried sooner than if thefile is placed back into the original queue because, if placed back inthe original queue, all other files already in the queue would have tobe processed before reupload is attempted for the failed file. If placedinto a reattempt queue, however, there may be parameters implemented fortriggering an upload worker thread to attempt to upload the first filein the reattempt queue instead of processing the first file in the mainqueue. This trigger may be based on time, on the number of upload workerthreads created and terminated since the failed file was added to thereattempt queue, the number of files uploaded from the main queue sincethe failed file was added to the reattempt queue, or other triggers.Thus, the reattempt queue helps to shorten the amount of time in which aparticular segment file is missing from the server 108 in the event thatan end user starts to stream the content from the server 108 before allthe files have been uploaded.

From step 622, the process 600 moves to decision block 616. At decisionblock 616, it is determined whether the upload queue is now empty andwhether the encoder is no longer encoding. If so, the process 600 endsat step 618. If the upload queue is not empty, the process 600 movesback to step 602 to initiate a new upload worker thread to process thenext file in the queue.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a digital contentdownloading and playback method 700 in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure. At step 702, a decoder isstarted. The decoder may be an application permanently stored on adevice, or may instead be implemented within a website and accessed viaa web browser. The decoder may require a user to go through anauthentication process in order to gain access to content. Thisauthentication process may require a username and password, or any othermeans of authentication. Thus there may be a database configured ateither the server 108 or at the encoder 106 to store authenticationinformation in relation to stored digital content. In this way, onlycertain end users may have access to content provided by a particularcapture site, and would not have access to content created byunaffiliated capture sites. The capture site 102 may be affiliated withthe end users using the decoder. Thus, a single username and passwordmay be used for the capture site 102 and associated end users.Alternatively, each end user may all share a unique username andpassword, or each may have its own unique username and password,separate from that used at the capture site 102. In this way, each ofthe end users associated with the capture site 102 may access contentuploaded by the capture site 102.

At step 704, the decoder presents one or more video options selectionsavailable to be played. The video selections presented are either videosthat have already been uploaded to the server 108, or are currently inthe process of being uploaded to the server 108. The decoder mayadditionally present this information, and may also indicate how much ofa video that is currently in the process of being uploaded has beensaved to the server 108. At step 706, one of the video selections ischosen. At step 708, a buffer limit is selected. A buffer limit is theamount of the video to be downloaded ahead of time. So, for example, ifa buffer limit of four minutes is selected, the decoder will downloadfour minutes of the video. If playback is started, the decoder maycontinuously keep four minutes of video buffered ahead of the currentpoint in the video being played. The buffer limit may be set to anylength of time, up to the full length of the video (such as 60 minutes)on the server 108.

The decoder then saves downloaded segment files on a local drive, ratherthan in system memory, to allow for up to the entire video to be saved.The buffer limit allows end users to create an amount of time where,even if there is a network outage, the content will continue to beplayed. For example, if the buffer limit is set to 15 minutes, and thatbuffer limit is met (15 minutes of the content have been downloaded),the content will continue to play for 15 minutes even if there is anetwork outage, allowing for time for the network outage to be addressedbefore the content is unable to continue to be played.

At step 710, the decoder requests and downloads a manifest file for thechosen video selection and stores it on a local drive. At step 712, thedecoder requests and downloads the next segment file listed in themanifest, starting with the first segment file, and stores it on thelocal drive. It will be understood that playback of the video may bestarted at any point after the first segment file is downloaded at step712. Additionally, in the event that the content stored on the server isnot yet complete, the downloaded manifest file may be outdated. In thisevent, the decoder may download an updated manifest from the server 108to be able to find the next segment file needed. Alternatively, eachsegment file may include embedded lookahead information that containsthe information needed to retrieve at least the next file in sequence,avoiding the need to download an updated manifest file. For example, insome embodiments, the lookahead information may contain information forthe next two segment files, requiring that the next two segment filesalso are created before a segment file can be uploaded to the server108. At decision block 714, it is determined whether the last segmentfile has been downloaded. If not, the process moves to decision block716, where it is determined if the buffer limit has been reached by thedownload of the segment file in step 712. If the buffer limit has notbeen reached, the process moves back to step 712 to begin downloadingthe next segment file listed in the manifest. If the buffer limit hasbeen reached, the process moves to step 718. At step 718, the decoderwaits for playback of the current segment file being played to finish.

At step 720, the earliest segment file stored on the local drive isdeleted to make room for the next segment file to be downloaded. Theprocess then moves back to step 712 to download the next segment filelisted in the manifest file. It will be understood that step 720 may notoccur if it is desired that the full video remain stored. If the fullvideo is to remain on stored, it allows for end users to back up or moveforward in the content without the need to redownload segments to playprevious content. It also allows for the full video to be saved andstored. This is also useful if the content is to be watched later, andif an audience is to view the content, then the content can bedownloaded and stored in its entirety, avoiding any latency issues thatmay occur while downloading content during a time when the content iscurrently being played. It will also be understood that, upon downloadof all the segment files, the decoder may reassemble the segments into asingle file so that end users may easily move and save the video file.If at decision block 714 it is determined that the last segment file hasbeen downloaded, the process 700 ends at step 722.

The systems and methods described herein may be used to upload and storecontent on the server 108 ahead of time before end users need to consumecontent. The end users would then download content that is already fullysaved on the server 108. In other scenarios, end users may want to beginplayback of content as soon as possible to the start of the uploadprocess at the capture site 102. In other scenarios, a capture site 102may begin a live event where a speaker, for example, is being recorded.To ensure that end users do not experience waiting for buffer times whentrying to watch close to real time, end users may set a delay in timebefore which they begin consuming the content. For example, the endusers may decide to not begin consuming the content until 30 minutesafter recording of the event has started at the capture site 102. Inthis scenario, as well as other scenarios, the end user may set a buffertime, as described with respect to FIG. 7, to begin downloading thecontent as it is available on the server.

A live event may not necessarily be constrained to only mean that endusers are watching the event occurring at the capture site in real time.Rather, the live event at the capture site is recorded as a live event,i.e., no multiple takes or stopping the recording of the event, and issimultaneously, using the processes described herein, made available tobe streamed to the end users. There may be a delay when end usersattempt to view the event as soon as it starts at the capture site, suchas 30 seconds, but the event at the capture site is still consideredlive. As segments are created at the encoder 106, attempts are made toupload all the segments to the server 108 while the recording of thelive event is still taking place. This is to ensure that segments aremade available for download as soon as possible, instead of waiting forall content to be captured before attempting to make the contentavailable for viewing. Additionally, the system is designed to ensurethat all video content is provided as high-quality content by requiringthat all segment files reach the server 108 as complete, high-quality,files regardless of network interruptions, rather than attempting toupload the files more quickly to meet demand by skipping segment filesor degrading content. In some embodiments, a default delay time may beimplemented on the decoder 112, such as a fifteen-second delay.Depending on the speed of the network and the speed of the uploading anddownloading process, this delay may be altered, such as increasing it to30 seconds, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, etc. This delay allows forcontent to be downloaded during the delay time, and played once thedelay time is over.

Referring now to FIG. 8A, there is illustrated a diagrammatic view of acombined dual stream video encoding and output system 800 in accordancewith various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 800includes the capture site 102 and the encoder 106 connected to theserver 108 over the network 110. The encoder 106 is connected to morethan one capture device 104. The captures devices 104 are used tocapture multiple scenes at the capture site 102. For example, in FIG.8A, there is a first scene 802 and a second scene 804. In this exampleshown in FIG. 8A, the first scene 802 is of a speaker on a stage and thesecond scene 804 is a zoomed in close up of the speaker presented on ascreen at the capture site 102. Each of the capture devices 104 isfocused on one of the scenes 802 and 804. The capture device 104 that isfocused on the second scene 804 is zoomed and focused on the imagesdisplayed in the screen, avoiding capturing the screen border.

The encoder 106, upon receiving the individual video streams,encodes/multiplexes the two streams into one image, or canvas. Thisresults in a single image or video file 806 that includes both videos(of both the first and second scenes 802 and 804) in a combined imagethat is at a resolution that is twice the width, but the same height, asthe original image. For instance, if the resolution of each of thestreams captured by the capture devices 104 is 1920×1080, and isencoded/multiplexed onto the same canvas, the resulting image is at aresolution of 3840×1080. The file 806 is then uploaded to the server 108according to the methods described herein. Only a single audio file maybe created during this process, unless the captured scenes includedifferent audio. However, in the present example, only the first scene802 is generating audio.

Referring now to FIG. 8B, there is illustrated another diagrammatic viewof the system 800 in accordance with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. A decoder 112 downloads the previously-created file 806,containing the first and second scenes 802 and 804 combined in a3840×1080 video. The decoder 112 breaks out each scene in the 3840×1080video into separate 1920×1080 outputs, effectively cutting the width ofthe image in the file 806 in half. The separate outputs are eachdisplayed on separate screens, with the video captured from first scene802 displayed on a screen 808, and the video captured from the secondscene 804 displayed on a screen 810. This ensures the scenes on each ofthe screens 808 and 810 are completely in sync, which may not beachieved by streaming the original captured streams separately asseparate videos.

Referring now to FIG. 9A, there is illustrated a diagrammatic view of acombined dual stream video encoding and output system 900 in accordancewith various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 900includes the capture site 102 and the encoder 106 connected to theserver 108 over the network 110. The encoder 106 is connected to morethan one capture device 104. The captures devices 104 are used tocapture multiple scenes at the capture site 102. For example, in FIG.9A, there is a first scene 902 and a second scene 904. In this exampleshown in FIG. 9A, the first scene 902 is of a speaker on a stage and thesecond scene 904 is of a presentation, such as slides, accompanying thespeaker's presentation and presented on a screen. Each of the capturedevices 104 is focused on one of the scenes 902 and 904. The capturedevice 104 that is focused on the second scene 904 is zoomed and focusedon the images displayed in the screen, avoiding capturing the screenborder.

The encoder 106, upon receiving the individual video streams,encodes/multiplexes the two streams into one image, or canvas. Thisresults in a single image or video file 906 that includes both videos(of both the first and second scenes 902 and 904) in a combined imagethat is at a resolution that is twice the width, but the same height, asthe original image. For instance, if the resolution of each of thestreams captured by the capture devices 104 is 1920×1080, and isencoded/multiplexed onto the same canvas, the resulting image at aresolution of 3840×1080. The file 906 is then uploaded to the server 108according to the methods described herein. Only a single audio file maybe created during this process, unless the captured scenes includedifferent audio. However, in the present example, only the first scene902 is generating audio.

Referring now to FIG. 9B, there is illustrated another diagrammatic viewof the system 900 in accordance with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. A decoder 112 downloads the previously-created file 906,containing the first and second scenes 902 and 904 combined in a3840×1080 video. The decoder 112 breaks out each scene in the 3840×1080video into separate 1920×1080 outputs, effectively cutting the width ofthe image in the file 906 in half. The separate outputs are eachdisplayed on separate screens, with the video captured from first scene902 displayed on a screen 908, and the video captured from the secondscene 904 displayed on a screen 910. This ensures the scenes on each ofthe screens 908 and 910 are completely in sync, which may not beachieved by streaming the original captured streams separately asseparate videos.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a flowchart of a combineddual stream video encoding and output method 1000 in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 1002, a firstcapture device captures a first scene while a second capture devicecaptures a second scene. At step 1004, an encoder receives the capturedfirst and second scenes from the first and second capture devices asseparate streams. This may be accomplished by the encoder havingmultiple video inputs associated with multiple video capture cards. Atstep 1006, the encoder encodes the separate streams into a single videohaving a resolution that is twice the width of the original resolutionof the separate streams. Thus, if the videos captured by the first andsecond capture devices are at a 1920×1080, the resulting resolution is3840×1080, creating a video where each of the captured videos playside-by-side. In some embodiments, the frames may be synced by theencoder based on the timestamp of each frame of the videos. Thus, if forsome reason the timestamps differ, such as one video starting at aslightly later timestamp, the two input streams may be passed through afilter to set both videos to the same zeroed-out timestamp.

At step 1008, the encoder transmits the newly created side-by-side videofile to a server for storage and eventual download. At step 1010, adecoder downloads the file from the server. At step 1012, the decodersplits the video into separate outputs corresponding to each of theoriginal captured streams for display on separate screens. The decoderaccomplishes this by displaying the first 1920×1080 section of theside-by-side video file on one screen, and the second 1920×1080 sectionon the other screen. Thus, the two images on the separate screens willcorrespond to the originally captured videos of the two scenes at thecapture site, while being completely in sync.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a media streamtranscoding system 1100 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The system 1100 includes an encoder 1102 and adecoder 1104 in communication with the one or more servers 1106 over anetwork 1108. The one or more servers 1106 can be a single serveraccessed over the Internet, or may be a distributed system containingmultiple servers designed to meet the load demand of a large number ofend users. This distributed system may be a content delivery network(CDN) provided by a third-party with the resources and capacity to meetthe demand, and media content can be stored in a distributed file systemshared by the servers, with multiple copies of the media content inmultiple data centers. The encoder 1102 transmits a media stream 1110 tothe one or more servers 1106 as described herein, including performingdata integrity checks to verify all content in the media stream 1110 isreceived by the one or more servers 1106. The contents of the mediastream 1110 are stored on the one or more servers 1106 and include amanifest 1112, and at least one media segment 1114. It will beunderstood that that segments can be media containers that include adata stream of a particular format, such as video data, audio data,image data, or other data formats. The server further includes atranscoding module 1116 that includes a manifest processor 1118. Themanifest processor 1118 can be a logical process carried out by the oneor more servers 1106 and in some embodiments may be a threaded process.The manifest processor 1118 illustrated in FIG. 11 can be a singleprocess including a plurality of threads, with multiple other manifestprocessors running concurrently with the manifest processor 1118. Theplurality of manifest processor threads can, for example, include athread to listen for new transcode requests, a thread to read in aninput manifest and schedule segment transcodes, a thread to listen fortranscode completion messages, and a thread to create a new manifest.The manifest processor 1118 receives transcoding requests from the oneor more servers 1106. Multiple manifest processors 1118 can be runningat a time, awaiting transcoding requests from the one or more servers1106. If a manifest processor 1118 ceases reporting activity, anothermanifest processor 1118 can take its place to complete a transcoderequest. Transcoding requests can include various parameters andcommands. For example, the transcoding request can include a command totranscode the contents of a particular media stream to a differentresolution, transcode the contents to a different codec, such as fromHEVC to H264, VP8, or other codec standards, crop frames in the video,resize a video such as reducing the length of the video, such astranscoding an hour of a two hour video to remove unnecessary contentsuch as practice, sound checks, etc., or other commands or parameters.The transcoded segment can also be assigned a bitrate to define thebitrate at which the segment is to be streamed.

The manifest processor 1118 can have associated therewith at least onetranscode worker process. A transcode worker process can be a threadedprocess wherein each transcode worker includes a plurality of transcodeworker threads 1120. The plurality of transcode worker threads 1120 can,for example, include threads to listen for new segment transcode requestmessages. The threads can be configured to process several new segmenttranscode request messages at a time up to a preconfigured thread poolsize. The transcode worker threads 1120 are scaled according to currentCPU availability. As CPU resources diminish, transcode worker threadsare terminated, whereas, as more CPU resources become available,additional transcode worker threads can be created to handle additionaltranscoding operations. When the manifest processor 1118 receives atranscode request, the manifest processor 1118 retrieves the manifest1112 and parses the manifest to determine the locations of the segments1114 associated with the manifest 1112. In some embodiments, thetranscode request can include the manifest 1112 in the request. For eachsegment 1114 parsed from the manifest 1112, the manifest processor 1118publishes a transcode request that is processed by a transcode workerthread 1120. For example, if there are three segments 1114 to betranscoded, the manifest processor 1118 generates three transcoderequests, one for each segment 1114, and three transcode worker threads1120 each handle one of the transcode requests.

Each transcode worker thread 1120 then retrieves a segment 1114. Thetranscode worker thread 1120 that retrieved the segment can then start anew transcode worker thread 1120 to perform transcoding of the segmentaccording to the parameters of the transcode request, and wait for thenew transcode worker thread 1120 to complete the transcoding process.For instance, if the transcode request includes a command to transcodeeach segment 1114 for a particular media stream 1110 to be 1280×720pixels, each transcode worker thread 1120 will transcode a segment 1114to be 1280×720. The original transcode worker thread that retrieved thesegment will then edit media headers and upload the media. A transcodedmedia stream 1122 is thus created and stored on the one or more servers1106 that includes a new manifest 1124 and one or more transcodedsegments 1126. Each transcode worker thread 1120 stores a transcodedsegment 1126 on the one or more servers 1106, which is a transcodedversion of the segment 1114 retrieved by one of the transcode workerthreads. The manifest processor 1118 creates the new manifest 1124 andstores it on the one or more servers 1106. The manifest processor 1118can create the new manifest 1124 periodically during the transcodeprocess as one or more segments are successfully transcoded, or in someembodiments can create the new manifest 1124 after all segments 1114have been transcoded by the transcode worker threads 1120. The newmanifest 1124 can then be downloaded by the decoder 1104 and used toretrieve the transcoded segments 1126 in order to view or playback thecontent of the media stream 1122. In some embodiments, the manifestprocessor 1118 can create a new manifest for streaming using a differentstandard than that used for the original segments before transcoding.For example, original segments stored on the server after a mediacapture and encoding session may be in a common media format such as MP4format, and may be originally stored to be streamed via DASH streaming,with a DASH manifest. The manifest processor 1118 can create a newmanifest to be used in locating the same common media format segments.For instance, the manifest processor 1118 can create an HLS playlistthat includes information pertaining to each of the segments, so thatboth DASH and HLS streaming can be offered to decoders. The samesegments using the same media container can be streamed whether theclient is using the DASH manifest or the HLS playlist.

In some embodiments, the decoder 1104 can be set to play content on adelay from the capture, encoding, and transmission of the content fromthe encoder 1102 to the one or more servers 1106. For example, if a liveevent is taking place and being recorded, encoded, segmented, uploadedto the server, and transcoded during the event, a delay may be set toprovide for an amount of time (five minutes, twenty minutes, one hour,etc.) before decoders are allowed to retrieve and play the content. Itshould be understood that the new manifest 1124 can also include thelocations of the original segments 1114, and other transcoded versionsor representations of the segments 1114 and 1126 as well, to enablecompatible decoders to retrieve segments at different bitrates during astream using a single manifest as bandwidth for the decoder increasesand decreases.

Referring now to FIG. 12, there is illustrated a transcoding requestmessage sequence 1200 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The one or more servers 1106 can include a messagingservice that enables members of the system such as manifest processors1118, transcode workers threads 1120, and other applications and modulesto communicate. The messaging service can provide multiple messagequeues that are each associated with a specified function, so thatmembers of the system such as the manifest processors 1118 and thetranscode worker threads 1120 can monitor the queues for new messagesthat can include requests or commands such as transcode requests. Theserver thus provides a messaging bus between the queues and systemprocesses such as the manifest processors 1118 and the transcode workerthreads 1120. It will be understood that the various queues, manifestprocessors, and transcode workers can operate on a single server, or canbe distributed across multiple servers as needed.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, a transcode request queue 1202 is provided bythe one or more servers 1106. The transcode request queue 1202 receivesand holds initial transcode requests for processing by a manifestprocessor 1118. One or more manifest processors 1118 can be running andactively monitoring the transcode request queue 1202. When a request isplaced in the transcode request queue 1202, a manifest processor 1118detects the presence of a request in the transcode request queue 1202and retrieves the request from the queue 1202 at step 1208. The manifestprocessor 1118 analyzes the request to determine what the requestrequires. For instance, the request may specify that a particular datastream is to be transcoded for other bitrates or resolutions, transcodedto a different codec standard, or other operations such as resizing orcropping. The manifest processor 1118 then retrieves and parses theappropriate manifest to determine the location of the media segmentsassociated with the data stream.

As each location is determined, the manifest processor 1118, at a step1210, places a segment transcode request in a segment transcode requestqueue 1204. One or more transcode worker threads 1120 can be active andmonitoring the segment transcode request queue 1204 for any new segmenttranscode requests. A transcode worker thread 1120, upon detecting thepresence of a request in the segment transcode request queue 1204,retrieves the request from the queue at a step 1212. A transcode workerthread 1120 then performs the request in accordance with the parametersof the request. Once the request is complete, such as when thetranscoder worker thread 1120 has completed transcoding a segment andstored the segment on the one or more servers 1106, at a step 1214 atranscode worker thread 1120 places a segment transcode notification ina segment transcode notification queue 1206. Manifest processors 1118can also monitor the segment transcode notification queue 1206 for anynew notifications and retrieve a notification at a step 1216. In someembodiments, the segment transcode request queue 1204 and the segmenttranscode notification queue 1206 are unique to a particular mediastream and can be created for that stream when a manifest processor 1118receives a transcode request, such that, for a particular media stream,one manifest processor subscribes to the segment transcode notificationqueue 1206. These notifications indicate to the manifest processor 1118that the transcode operation for a segment is complete. The notificationcan also include a unique identifier (UID) that is associated with adata stream, so that the manifest processor 1118 can determine to whichdata stream the segment belongs. The manifest processor 1118 thatretrieves the notification from the segment transcode notification queue1206 may or may not be the same manifest processor 1118 that processedthe transcode request from the transcode request queue 1202.

Upon receipt of the notification from the segment transcode notificationqueue 1206, the manifest processor creates a new manifest that includesthe location on the server(s) for the newly transcoded segment andstores the new manifest on the server, replacing any other previouslycreated manifests for the data stream. In some embodiments, manifestprocessors 1118 wait for an interval of time between each check of thesegment transcode notification queue 1206. During this interval of time,messages received and stored in the segment transcode notification queue1206 are merged. Once the interval of time expires, the manifestprocessor 1118 retrieves a single merged notification that may refer tomore than one transcoded segment. The manifest processor 1118 thencreates a new manifest that includes the storage location of every newlytranscoded segment. This time interval allows for more than one segmentto be included in the new manifest at a time, so that a new manifest isnot written after every transcoded segment is created, reducing theamount of resources used by the server.

The queues 1202, 1204, and 1206 disclosed herein in some embodiments arequeues created and maintained by a messaging service on the one or moreservers 1106. The messaging service allows for sending and receivingmessages between applications and processes. The messaging service cansend messages over one or more message busses. For example, the messagesand requests sent at steps 1208, 1210, 1212, 1214, and 1216 can each besent over a message bus between the manifest processor 1118, thetranscode worker threads 1120, and the queues 1202, 1204, and 1206,allowing for processes to operate on distributed devices so that if oneprocess fails, another can take the first process' place, as describedherein.

As described herein, the present disclosure provides for transcodingprocesses to be carried out during a live event. As such, the systemsdisclosed herein can be configured so that users view the content on adelay, to allow for time to transcode content, and to allow for time toreattempt transcode requests in the event of network issues, or if amanifest processor or a transcode worker fails. The system can bemassively scaled in the cloud with active-active redundancy. Everythreaded manifest processor and transcode worker can potentially work onany uploading stream at any time, such as any currently recording anduploading live event stream. If a manifest processor or transcode workeror thread dies, the remaining manifest processor, transcode worker, orassociated threads can pick up where the dead one left off and absorbthe additional workload. As the load increases, the number of processesand threads automatically increases, within allowance of availableresources, to meet the demand.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is illustrated media content 1302 storedon the one or more servers 1106 that includes multiple adaptation setsand representations in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The media content 1302 includes a manifest 1304 anda plurality of media segments divided into separate adaptation sets andrepresentations. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, there are twoadaptation sets. Adaptation sets can include different components of amedia stream. For example, one adaptation set may include audio segmentsfor a stream while another adaptation set may include video segments.Separate adaptation sets can also be used for separating audio bylanguage, with each language being in a separate adaptation set, whileone common adaptation includes all video segments. Adaptation sets canalso include other content such as subtitles or arbitrary metadata. Inyet other examples, one adaptation set can include segments for onemedia stream where the video is at a particular angle, while anotheradaptation set includes segments for a media stream at a differentangle. For example, if the media content 1302 includes video of aspeaker on a stage with a visual aid on a screen elsewhere on the stage,one adaptation set can include video captured at an angle showing thespeaker's face, while the other adaptation set includes video capturedat an angle showing the visual aid. This can allow for a user viewingthe content to switch between angles during viewing.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, there is stored on the one ormore servers 1106 a first adaptation set 1306 and a second adaptationset 1308. The first adaptation set 1306 includes segments at variousresolutions to accommodate variable bitrates. The first adaptation set1306 includes a first representation 1310 at a resolution of 1920×1080,a second representation 1312 at a resolution of 1280×720, and a thirdrepresentation 1314 at a resolution of 854×480. The second adaptationset 1308 similarly includes a first representation 1310 at a resolutionof 1920×1080, a second representation 1312 at a resolution of 1280×720,and a third representation 1314 at a resolution of 854×480. The secondadaptation set 1308 may however be a recording of an event at adifferent angle than that of the first representation. The manifest 1304can include the locations of all the segments for each adaptation setand representation, allowing a decoder to use the manifest 1304 toretrieve different adaptation sets or different representations during astream as needed by the client or as desired by the user. It should beunderstood that the adaptation sets and representations illustrated inFIG. 13 are but one example, and other adaptations and representationscan be stored and streamed by the one or more servers 1106, such asrepresentations that include different resolutions than thoseillustrated in FIG. 13, and adaptation sets that include content otherthan video content.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is illustrated a flowchart of atranscoding process 1400 in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The process 1400 begins at step 1402. At step 1402,the one or more servers 1106 publishes a transcode request including oneor more parameters in the transcode request queue 1202. At step 1404,the manifest processor 1118 receives the transcode request from thetranscode request queue 1202. In some embodiments, the manifestprocessor 1118 may actively monitor the transcode request queue andretrieves the transcode request from the queue when the manifestprocessor 1118 detects that the transcode request is present in thetranscode request queue 1202. In other embodiments, the transcoderequest may be pushed to an available manifest processor 1118.

At step 1406, the manifest processor 1118 parses the manifest todetermine a location a segment, such as a URL or server location. Thesegment is stored for a particular bitrate or at a particularresolution. At step 1408, the manifest processor 1118 publishes asegment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204.The segment transcode request is a request to transcode the segment thatwas located in step 1406 in accordance with the one or more parametersincluded in the transcode request received by the manifest processor1118 in step 1404. For example, if the transcode request received by themanifest processor 1118 includes instructions to transcode the segmentsin the manifest from a resolution of 1920×1080 to 1280×720, the segmenttranscode request published in the segment transcode request queue 1204at step 1408 includes a request to transcode the particular segmentlocated in step 1406 using the manifest to 1280×720. The segmenttranscode request can also include the location of the segment locatedin step 1406 to allow for a transcode worker thread to retrieve thesegment for transcoding.

At decision block 1410, if a transcode worker is available, the processflows to step 1412 where an available transcode worker retrieves thesegment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204.If at decision block 1410 a transcode worker is not available, theprocess loops until a transcode worker becomes available to process thesegment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204.It will be understood that the manifest processor 1118, after publishinga segment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204,can continue to parse the manifest to locate a next segment to betranscoded, and publish another segment transcode request for the nextsegment in the segment transcode request queue 1204. As such, even if atdecision block 1410 a transcode worker is not available to retrieve asegment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue, themanifest processor 1118 can continue parsing the manifest and publishingadditional segment transcode requests to the segment transcode requestqueue. The segment transcode requests can then be processed as transcodeworkers become available to process each request.

After the transcode worker retrieves the segment transcode request fromthe segment transcode request queue 1204 at step 1412, the process flowsto step 1414. At step 1414, the transcode worker transcodes the segmentthat is the subject of the segment transcode request according to theone or more parameters. Once the segment is transcoded, at step 1416 thetranscode worker stores the transcoded segment at a storage location,such as on the one or more servers 1106. The transcode worker alsopublishes a segment transcode notification in the segment transcodenotification queue 1206, indicating that the segment transcode requestis complete. At this point, the transcode worker that performed thetranscoding process at step 1414 is free to retrieve another segmenttranscode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204.

At step 1418, the manifest processor 1118 receives the segment transcodenotification from the segment transcode notification queue 1206, whichnotifies the manifest processor 1118 that the segment transcode requestis complete. The manifest processor 1118 then creates a new manifestthat includes the location of the transcoded segment, and stores the newmanifest at a storage location, such as on the one or more servers 1106.In some embodiments, the new manifest includes locations of transcodedsegments created as a result of the transcode request received by themanifest processor 1118 at step 1404. In some embodiments, the newmanifest includes the locations of the transcoded segments, as well asthe original segments, so that the new manifest can be used during amedia stream to allow a decoder to request different representations ofthe media to account for bandwidth and bitrates.

Referring now to FIG. 15, there is illustrated a flowchart of atranscode worker process 1500 in accordance with various embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The process 1500 begins at step 1502. At step1502, a first available transcode worker monitors the segment transcoderequest queue 1204. One or more transcode workers can be monitoring thequeue at a time. In some embodiments, a priority system may beimplemented so that multiple transcode workers do not attempt toretrieve a segment transcode request from the segment transcode requestqueue 1204 at the same time. At decision block 1504, the first availabletranscode worker determines if a segment transcode request is in thesegment transcode request queue 1204. If not, the process 1500 movesback to step 1502 and the first available transcode worker continues tomonitor the segment transcode request queue 1204. If so, the process1500 moves to step 1506.

At step 1506 the first available transcode worker retrieves the segmenttranscode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204. At step1508, the transcode worker retrieves a segment identified in the segmenttranscode request retrieved at step 1506. At step 1510, the transcodeworker begins transcoding the segment. At decision block 1512, it isdetermined whether the transcode is complete. If not, at decision block1514, the manifest processor 1118 can determine if the transcode workerthat retrieved the segment transcode request at step 1506 is still aliveor running. If so, the process 1500 moves back to decision block 1512 todetermine if the transcoding is complete. In some embodiments, themanifest processor 1118 can record which segments identified in themanifest have been successfully transcoded. After publishing a segmenttranscode request, the manifest processor 1118 can periodically checkwhether the segment transcode request is complete, and, if not, if thetranscode worker thread 1120 responsible for completing the transcodingprocess for the segment is still running.

If at decision block 1514 it is determined that the transcode worker isnot running, the process 1500 moves to step 1516. At step 1516, thesegment transcode request that was being handled by the transcode workerthat has stopped running is returned to the segment transcode requestqueue 1204 so that another transcode worker can attempt to finishtranscoding the segment. At step 1518, a next available transcode workerretrieves a segment transcode request from the segment transcode requestqueue 1204. In some embodiments, the failed segment transcode request isplaced back in the end of the segment transcode request queue 1204, suchthat the next available transcode worker retrieves the next segmenttranscode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204, whetherthat request is the previously failed one or not. In other embodiments,the failed segment transcode request is placed at the front of thesegment transcode request queue 1204, prioritizing the failed segmenttranscode request over other requests in the queue. In yet otherembodiments, the failed segment transcode request is placed into areattempt queue that is a separate queue from the segment transcoderequest queue 1204. The reattempt queue can be periodically checked by atranscode worker to reattempt a transcode process on a segment whileother transcode workers process requests from the segment transcoderequests queue 1204. In some embodiments, requests in the reattemptqueue are not processed until a transcode worker detects that thesegment transcode request queue 1204 is empty.

After the failed transcode request is returned to a queue at step 1516and the next available transcode worker retrieves a segment transcoderequest from the queue, the process 1500 moves back to step 1508 wherethe next available transcode worker retrieves the segment to betranscoded. The process then moves again to step 1510 where thetranscode worker begins transcoding the segment. If at decision block1512 the transcode process is completed, the process 1500 moves to step1520. At step 1520, the transcode worker stores the transcoded segmentat a storage location, such as on the one or more servers 1106. At step1522, the transcode worker publishes in the segment transcodenotification queue 1206 a notification that transcoding of the segmentis complete, which is used to notify the manifest processor 1118 thattranscoding of the segment is complete and to prompt the manifestprocessor 1118 to create a new manifest that includes informationpertaining to the transcoded segment.

Referring now to FIG. 16, there is illustrated a flowchart of a segmenttranscode notification merging process 1600 in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure. The process 1600 begins at step1602 where a segment transcode notification queue time interval or ratelimit starts. This time interval can be maintained by the manifestprocessor 1118 to coordinate when the manifest processor 1118 checks thesegment transcode notification queue 1206. Since multiple transcodeworkers can be transcoding segments, storing transcoded segments, andpublishing segment transcode notifications to the segment transcodenotification queue 1206 at the same time, the time interval can be usedso that the manifest processor 1118 is not retrieving just one segmenttranscode notification at a time and creating a new manifest for everynotification. Rather, segment transcode notifications can be accumulatedin the segment transcode notification queue 1206 during the timeinterval. Notifications accumulated during the time interval can bemerged into one notification so that the manifest processor 1118 cancreate a new manifest that includes each transcoded segment in themerged notification, reducing the resources required than if themanifest processor 1118 created a new manifest every time a transcodedsegment was completed.

During the time interval started at step 1602, the manifest processor1118 does not attempt to check the segment transcode notification queue1206. At step 1604, a segment transcode notification is received in thesegment transcode notification queue and from a transcode worker,indicating that a segment has been transcoded. At step 1606, the segmenttranscode notification is merged with other segment transcodenotifications in the queue. If the queue already contains a mergednotification, the segment transcode notification is merged with themerged notification to create a new merged notification. At decisionblock 1608, the manifest processor 1118 determines if the timer intervalstarted at step 1602 has expired. If not, the process 1600 moves back tostep 1604. While the time interval is not expired, additional segmenttranscode notifications can be received by the segment transcodenotification queue 1206 from transcode workers, repeating steps 1604 and1606 to receive new notification and merge the new notifications intoone merged notification.

If at decision block 1608 the time interval has expired, the processmoves to step 1610. At step 1610, the manifest processor 1118 retrievesthe merged notification from the segment transcode notification queue.At step 1612, the manifest processor 1118 creates a new manifest thatincludes the locations of all segments identified in the mergednotification, and stores the new manifest at a storage location. In someembodiments, segment transcode notifications may not be merged, but themanifest processor 1118 can still retrieve every notification currentlyin the segment transcode notification queue 1206 and create a newmanifest that includes information pertaining to the segments identifiedin the notifications. At decision block 1614, the manifest processor1118 determines whether the last segment has been transcoded. If not,the process moves back to step 1602 where another time interval starts.If so, the process moves to step 1616. At step 1616, the manifestprocessor sends a notification of completion of the transcode request onthe server, indicating that all segments associated with a media contenthas been transcoded in fulfillment of the transcode request originallyreceived by the manifest processor 1118.

Referring to FIG. 17, an electronic device 1700 is illustrated inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Thedevice 1700 is one example of a portion or all of the encoder 106 and/orthe decoder 112 of FIG. 1, as well as potentially other clients,servers, encoders, and decoders described in FIG. 1 and in otherembodiments. The system 1700 includes a controller (e.g., aprocessor/central processing unit (“CPU”)) 1702, a memory unit 1704, aninput/output (“I/O”) device 1706, and at least one network interface1708. The device 1700 includes at least one network interface 1708, ornetwork interface controllers (NICs). In embodiments that include morethan one network interface 1708, the additional network interfaces 1708allow for a different network service provider to be switched to in theevent of a network issue. For instance, if one network interface 1708 isconnected to the Internet via a connection provided by a first Internetservice provider, and that connection encounters an issue or fails,another network interface 1708 that is connected via a connectionprovided by a second Internet service provider may take over. The device1700 further includes at least one capture card 1710 for capturingmedia, such as video or audio data. The device 1700 also includes astorage drive 1712 used for storing content captured by the at least onecapture card 1710. The components 1702, 1704, 1706, 1708, 1710, and 1712are interconnected by a data transport system (e.g., a bus) 1714. Apower supply unit (PSU) 1716 provides power to components of the system1700 via a power transport system 1718 (shown with data transport system1714, although the power and data transport systems may be separate).

It is understood that the system 1700 may be differently configured andthat each of the listed components may actually represent severaldifferent components. For example, the CPU 1702 may actually represent amulti-processor or a distributed processing system; the memory unit 1704may include different levels of cache memory, and main memory; the I/Odevice 1706 may include monitors, keyboards, and the like; the at leastone network interface 1708 may include one or more network cardsproviding one or more wired and/or wireless connections to a network1720; and the storage drive 1712 may include hard disks and remotestorage locations. Therefore, a wide range of flexibility is anticipatedin the configuration of the system 1700, which may range from a singlephysical platform configured primarily for a single user or autonomousoperation to a distributed multi-user platform such as a cloud computingsystem.

The system 1700 may use any operating system (or multiple operatingsystems), including various versions of operating systems provided byMicrosoft (such as WINDOWS), Apple (such as Mac OS X), UNIX, and LINUX,and may include operating systems specifically developed for handhelddevices (e.g., iOS, Android, Blackberry, and/or Windows Phone), personalcomputers, servers, and other computing platforms depending on the useof the system 1700. The operating system, as well as other instructions(e.g., for telecommunications and/or other functions provided by thedevice 1700), may be stored in the memory unit 1704 and executed by theprocessor 1702. For example, if the system 1700 is the device 1700, thememory unit 1704 may include instructions for performing some or all ofthe steps, process, and methods described herein.

The network 1720 may be a single network or may represent multiplenetworks, including networks of different types, whether wireless orwired. For example, the device 1700 may be coupled to external devicesvia a network that includes a cellular link coupled to a data packetnetwork, or may be coupled via a data packet link such as a wide localarea network (WLAN) coupled to a data packet network or a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN). Accordingly, many different networktypes and configurations may be used to couple the device 1700 withexternal devices.

In some embodiments, various functions described in this patent documentare implemented or supported by a computer program that is formed fromcomputer readable program code and that is embodied in a computerreadable medium. The phrase “computer readable program code” includesany type of computer code, including source code, object code, andexecutable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any typeof medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read onlymemory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compactdisc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A“non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless,optical, or other communication links that transport transitoryelectrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable mediumincludes media where data can be permanently stored and media where datacan be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical discor an erasable storage device.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document. The terms “application”and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, softwarecomponents, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects,classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted forimplementation in a suitable computer code (including source code,object code, or executable code). The term “communicate,” as well asderivatives thereof, encompasses both direct and indirect communication.The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, meaninclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaningand/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof,may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, becontained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicablewith, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be boundto or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, orthe like. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items,means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items maybe used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “atleast one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations:A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

The description in the present application should not be read asimplying that any particular element, step, or function is an essentialor critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scopeof patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims.Moreover, none of the claims invokes 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) with respect toany of the appended claims or claim elements unless the exact words“means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim,followed by a participle phrase identifying a function. Use of termssuch as (but not limited to) “mechanism,” “module,” “device,” “unit,”“component,” “element,” “member,” “apparatus,” “machine,” “system,”“processor,” “interface,” or “controller” within a claim is understoodand intended to refer to structures known to those skilled in therelevant art, as further modified or enhanced by the features of theclaims themselves, and is not intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodimentsand methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,the above description of example embodiments does not define orconstrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterationsare also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure, as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for transcoding a media stream,comprising: at least one network interface; at least one memory; and atleast one processor each coupled to one or more of the at least onenetwork interface and one or more of the at least one memory, the atleast one processor configured to: retrieve a segment transcode requestfrom a segment transcode request queue by a first transcode workerthread of a plurality of transcode worker threads, wherein each one ofthe plurality of transcode worker threads is configured to monitor thesegment transcode request queue or independently perform transcodingoperations on segments; transcode, by a second transcode worker threadof the plurality of transcode worker threads, a segment referenced bythe segment transcode request; and determine, by a manifest processor,whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding thesegment and is still operating, and, if not, return the segmenttranscode request to the segment transcode request queue, and transcodethe segment by a third transcode worker thread of the plurality oftranscode worker threads.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at leastone processor is further configured to: initialize the manifestprocessor; initialize the plurality of transcode worker threads;publish, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in a transcode requestqueue, wherein the transcode request includes one or more transcoderequest parameters, wherein the messaging bus and the transcode requestqueue are provided by a messaging service, and wherein the messagingservice provides communications distributed over the messaging busacross the system; retrieve, by the manifest processor, the transcoderequest from the transcode request queue; and publish, by the manifestprocessor via the messaging bus, the segment transcode request in thesegment transcode request queue, wherein the segment transcode requestqueue is provided by the messaging service.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: retrieve amanifest referenced by the transcode request; and parse the manifest, bythe manifest processor, to locate the segment and include a location ofthe segment in the segment transcode request.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: publish, bythe second or third transcode worker thread via the messaging bus, asegment transcode notification in a segment transcode notificationqueue, wherein the segment transcode notification indicates a successfultranscode of the segment, and wherein the segment transcode notificationqueue is provided by the messaging service; and merge the segmenttranscode notification with any other segment transcode notifications inthe segment transcode notification queue.
 5. The system of claim 4,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: start atime interval; retrieve, by the manifest processor, the segmenttranscode notification or a merged notification from the segmenttranscode notification queue, in response to an expiration of the timeinterval; and create, by the manifest processor, a new manifestincluding information related to the transcoded segment and othersegments referenced by the merged notification.
 6. The system of claim1, wherein, when determining by the manifest processor whether thesecond transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment andis still operating, the at least one processor is further configured to:place the segment transcode request in a transcode reattempt queue,wherein the transcode reattempt queue is a separate queue from thesegment transcode request queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queueis provided by a messaging service, and wherein available transcodeworker threads monitor the transcode reattempt queue in order toretrieve requests from the transcode reattempt queue and transcodesegments referenced by segment transcode requests in the transcodereattempt queue.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second transcodeworker thread transcodes the segment referenced by the segment transcoderequest in accordance with one or more transcode request parameters,wherein the one or more transcode request parameters include at leastone of: a resolution parameter, wherein the resolution parameterindicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment; a bitrateparameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate to assignto the segment; a cropping parameter, wherein the cropping parameterindicates that images in the segment are to be cropped; a resizingparameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that a length of thesegment is to be altered; or a codec parameter, wherein the codecparameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to a differentcodec.
 8. A method for transcoding a media stream, comprising:retrieving a segment transcode request from a segment transcode requestqueue by a first transcode worker thread of a plurality of transcodeworker threads, wherein each one of the plurality of transcode workerthreads is configured to monitor the segment transcode request queue orindependently perform transcoding operations on segments; transcoding,by a second transcode worker thread of the plurality of transcode workerthreads, a segment referenced by the segment transcode request; anddetermining, by a manifest processor, whether the second transcodeworker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is stilloperating, and, if not, returning the segment transcode request to thesegment transcode request queue, and transcoding the segment by a thirdtranscode worker thread of the plurality of transcode worker threads. 9.The method of claim 8, further comprising: initializing the manifestprocessor; initializing the plurality of transcode worker threads;publishing, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in a transcoderequest queue, wherein the transcode request includes one or moretranscode request parameters, and wherein the messaging bus and thetranscode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and whereinthe messaging service provides communications distributed over themessaging bus; retrieving, by the manifest processor, the transcoderequest from the transcode request queue; and publishing, by themanifest processor via the messaging bus, the segment transcode requestin the segment transcode request queue, wherein the segment transcoderequest queue is provided by the messaging service.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising: retrieving a manifest referenced by thetranscode request; and parsing the manifest, by the manifest processor,to locate the segment and include a location of the segment in thesegment transcode request.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: publishing, by the second or third transcode worker threadvia the messaging bus, a segment transcode notification in a segmenttranscode notification queue, wherein the segment transcode notificationindicates a successful transcode of the segment, and wherein the segmenttranscode notification queue is provided by the messaging service; andmerging the segment transcode notification with any other segmenttranscode notifications in the segment transcode notification queue. 12.The method of claim 11, further comprising: starting a time interval;retrieving, by the manifest processor, the segment transcodenotification or a merged notification from the segment transcodenotification queue, in response to an expiration of the time interval;and creating, by the manifest processor, a new manifest includinginformation related to the transcoded segment and other segmentsreferenced by the merged notification.
 13. The method of claim 8,further comprising: when determining by the manifest processor whetherthe second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segmentand is still operating, placing the segment transcode request in atranscode reattempt queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is aseparate queue from the segment transcode request queue, wherein thetranscode reattempt queue is provided by a messaging service, andwherein available transcode worker threads monitor the transcodereattempt queue in order to retrieve requests from the transcodereattempt queue and transcode segments referenced by segment transcoderequests in the transcode reattempt queue.
 14. The method of claim 8,wherein transcoding, by the second transcode worker thread, the segmentreferenced by the segment transcode request includes transcoding thesegment in accordance with one or more transcode request parameters,wherein the one or more transcode request parameters include at leastone of: a resolution parameter, wherein the resolution parameterindicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment; a bitrateparameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate to assignto the segment; a cropping parameter, wherein the cropping parameterindicates that images in the segment are to be cropped; a resizingparameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that a length of thesegment is to be altered; or a codec parameter, wherein the codecparameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to a differentcodec.
 15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprisinginstructions for operating a system including at least one networkinterface, at least one memory, and at least one processor, and theinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause thesystem to: retrieve a segment transcode request from a segment transcoderequest queue by a first transcode worker thread of a plurality oftranscode worker threads, wherein each one of the plurality of transcodeworker threads is configured to monitor the segment transcode requestqueue or independently perform transcoding operations on segments;transcode, by a second transcode worker thread of the plurality oftranscode worker threads, a segment referenced by the segment transcoderequest; and determine, by a manifest processor, whether the secondtranscode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and isstill operating, and, if not, return, the segment transcode request tothe segment transcode request queue, and transcode the segment by athird transcode worker thread.
 16. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executedby the at least one processor, cause the system to: initialize themanifest processor; initialize the plurality of transcode workerthreads; publish, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in atranscode request queue, wherein the transcode request includes one ormore transcode request parameters, wherein the messaging bus and thetranscode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and whereinthe messaging service provides communications distributed over themessaging bus across the system; retrieve, by the manifest processor,the transcode request from the transcode request queue; and publish, bythe manifest processor via the messaging bus, the segment transcoderequest in the segment transcode request queue, wherein the segmenttranscode request queue is provided by the messaging service.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprisinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe system to: retrieve a manifest referenced by the transcode request;and parse the manifest, by the manifest processor, to locate the segmentand include a location of the segment in the segment transcode request.18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, furthercomprising instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to: publish, by the second or thirdtranscode worker thread via the messaging bus, a segment transcodenotification in a segment transcode notification queue, wherein thesegment transcode notification indicates a successful transcode of thesegment, and wherein the segment transcode notification queue isprovided by the messaging service; and merge the segment transcodenotification with any other segment transcode notifications in thesegment transcode notification queue.
 19. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the system to: start atime interval; retrieve, by the manifest processor, the segmenttranscode notification or a merged notification from the segmenttranscode notification queue, in response to an expiration of the timeinterval; and create, by the manifest processor, a new manifestincluding information related to the transcoded segment and othersegments referenced by the merged notification.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructionsthat, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:when determining by the manifest processor whether the second transcodeworker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is stilloperating, place the segment transcode request in a transcode reattemptqueue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is a separate queue fromthe segment transcode request queue, wherein the transcode reattemptqueue is provided by a messaging service, and wherein availabletranscode worker threads monitor the transcode reattempt queue in orderto retrieve requests from the transcode reattempt queue and transcodesegments referenced by segment transcode requests in the transcodereattempt queue.